Project communication and management is key
I published my book through Spines and the outcome was successful—my book was formatted, the cover was finalized, and it was ultimately made live on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. That said, the process took more effort than it should have on the author side. Communication and continuity were inconsistent. I experienced delays between updates, had to follow up repeatedly for status, and there were points where expectations weren’t aligned (for example, what was included in the plan: formatting vs editorial/proofreading). There were also multiple handoffs across team members, which created rework and required me to consolidate change requests to keep the project moving. The strengths: once the right people were engaged, they addressed formatting issues, implemented corrections, and moved the project across the finish line. The team also helped clarify metadata items like BISAC and keywords as we approached publishing. My recommendation: Spines can get a book published, but authors should be prepared to manage the project closely, document all requests in writing, and push for clear timelines and scope confirmations up front.